3 am internet shopping is dangerous . . . .

Yep, I am totally getting this Phillip Lim dress for the holidays. It is exactly what I'm digging right now: Sequined, frilly, yet stylable into something that's a little bit rock 'n roll. A refreshing take on the ubiquitous one-shouldered dress. Gonna wear it with my platform ankle motorcycle boots from Zara (platform + motorcycle = contradiction?) and my favorite cropped leather jacket. Loves it.

weekly training summary -- thanksgiving week.

Nick and I ventured out to Boston to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with one of Nick's college buddies and his family. It was an incredibly relaxing and fun trip --- but I definitely went overboard with the eating and lack of exercise. I just got back into town and am going to work hard to get back on the wagon. I feel like I gained weight just from my three days of gluttony! I may have to even resort to another 3-day Blueprint Cleanse just to feel back on track.

My training runs were limited this week, but I'm glad I even got a few in, considering all of the R&R time I put in. My long run for the week was really fabulous. Today was one of those gorgeous NYC fall days that just reminded me why I love this city so much. Running around Central Park (even the Harlem Hills felt really soothing), ending with a fantastic view of the Statue of Liberty . . . I'll never get sick of it!

• Monday: 5.5 miles
• Tuesday: 4 miles
• Sunday: 16 miles
  

holiday wrap-up

I had a feeling I would never end up putting up a post from the holidays if I kept putting it off . . . . Although we're already a couple of weeks into the new year, I suppose it's still better late than never.

The holidays were great, but quite a whirlwind. Given time constraints, I was only able to make it back home for three days. The first thing to greet me after I got off the plane?:
My family (of course) and lots of snow! This actually isn't a great picture to demonstrate how much snow was on the ground, but take my word for it: The weather was bananas, especially for the NW. I haven't seen snow like in the NW (aside from trips to the mountains) since I was a little kid! I love that my bro threw on an old school Seattle Supersonics hat (RIP!) and a Khmer scarf. Gotta represent.

We were snowed in for most of my visit. Nick made it down from Seattle for a day, which was a treat for the fam. We opened up some gifts, ate lots of dim sum . . . the typical You family holiday fare:


We also continued a tradition that we started last year -- Hours upon hours of playing Rock Band and (new addition) Sing Star. Although we spent way too much time playing these games, I only remembered to snap one quick picture of Baron:
I didn't get to see many friends, which was a bummer, but the time I did get to spend back in the 'Couv was terribly relaxing and a great way to re-fuel. I also read a pile of books to relax, so if anyone needs a recommendation, shoot me a note!

Poor Nick got stuck on a plane for New Year's Eve, so I was sans date for the occasion. I had a great time ringing in the new year at a 20's themed party back home in the city with one of my best friends, Nan. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures now. I vaguely remember lots of cameras making an appearance that evening, but haven't tracked down any photos yet! It's safe to say that we were far away from this madness:
I thought the picture of Times Square was quite pretty, and far better than experiencing that madness first-hand.

And now we're into the new year and back to the grind. Hope you all had a lovely time celebrating the holidays with friends and loved ones!

much to be thankful for . . . .

I just finished up a fantastic Thanksgiving weekend. The past four days were filled with lots of food and plenty of relaxing. On Wednesday night, Nick and I decided to get a jump-start on holiday shopping by checking out the crazy sale at Saks and the cute holiday display they unveiled the night before. Half of the windows featured the Swarovsky windows featuring designers including Zac Posen, Alexander McQueen, Bill Blass, etc, but I wasn't all that impressed. I did, however like the cute windows based on the book A Flake Like Mike.
The story is based in "Snowflake City," and centers around this adorable snowflake, Mike:
The basic jist of the story is that Mike is different, and eventually encourages all of the other snowflakes to be different too ----- which is now each and every snowflake that we see is different from the rest.
A pretty cute story encouraging kids to embrace their identities as individuals!

We couldn't handle midtown for more than a couple of hours, so we hightailed it to the Upper West Side to check out the balloons inflated for the next day's Macy's Thanksgiving parade. It was crazy-crowded, but we had a blast checking out the balloons without having to deal with the terrible parade-day crowds:
It's crazy how big the balloons are! Look at at old Horton here compared to the apartment building.
This is me + Nick posing with my favorite balloon, modeled after a Keith Haring piece, in honor of what would have been his 50th birthday:
Although Nick and I opted out of seeing the actual parade, here's a picture of some of the balloons making their way through the parade route on Thanksgiving day:

After freezing our buns off outdoors, Nick and I decided to check out the new Shake Shack outpost. For you non NYC-ers, this place is famous for its burgers and milkshakes. People will wait in line for an hour to get their hands on Shake Shack goods. Luckily, with the new branch, there's no need to wait outdoors, and the line was only 15 minutes!

Here's the before picture. Nick got a cheeseburger, I opted for the portobello mushroom burger + black & white milkshake, ice cream sundae, and piles of fries to share.
We clearly loved the food, as evidenced by the aftermath:

After a restful night of sleep, Nick and I headed to Goddard Riverside Community Center to help prepare and deliver Thankgiving meals to homebound elderly folks in the community. The event was a part of a program the center puts on every year, which includes serving Thankgiving dinner to about 1000 homeless New Yorkers. It's the second year we've volunteered, and is a highlight of my holidays.

Since both Nick and I are far away from family, we continued our tradition of making a meal for just the two of us. We made way too much food, but managed to eat most of it anyway!
It was Sid's first Thanksgiving, which he seemed excited about. Well, at least he didn't look as annoyed as usual when I stuck a camera in his face:
And, in accordance with Thanksgiving tradition, Sid quickly learned the art of the food coma nap and cuddled up with his new mouse friend:
I spent the rest of the weekend meeting up with some friends, watching lots of bad movies, and just having a great break. Although the past few weeks (and years for that matter) have been filled with ups and downs, I have a great deal to be thankful for. And for that, I feel blessed.

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday with your family/friends/loved ones! Sending lots of love your way.